


Nobody's A Picture Perfect

by thelilacfield



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Artificial Intelligence, F/M, First Crush, M/M, Mind/Mood Altering Substances, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 08:27:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3168200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelilacfield/pseuds/thelilacfield
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine Anderson. Sitting at the back of the room, separate from all the noise and companionship. Loner. Loser. - Blaine has been falling in love with Kurt for two years, since the first time he saw him. Now he's offered a way to get to his heart and, well - who would be stupid enough not to take it? But there is a dark side to handing control of your life to artificial intelligence. One he discovers to disastrous consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Now You See Me

This fic is based on the book  _Be More Chill_  by Ned Vizzini, but I believe it stands comfortably alone and will be readable without having read the book. Warnings will be given on a chapter-by-chapter basis. This chapter has no warnings.

 **A/N:**  When Blaine is talking with his squip,  **bold typeface**  is the squip talking and  _italics_  are Blaine. Title taken from  _Dark Side_ by Kelly Clarkson.

* * *

Tina Cohen-Chang - today wearing a lemon yellow dress, perched in Mike's lap, giggling at something he was saying.  _Check_.

Rachel Berry - already sitting at the piano warming up her voice, glaring up at Finn every time his attention wandered away from the task at hand.  _Check_.

Mercedes Jones - sitting up against the wall on crossed legs, the thin gold bracelets on her wrists jangling together as she stared eagerly at her phone screen.  _Check_.

Quinn Fabray, Brittany Pierce, Santana Lopez - practicing a section of a cheer routine on the corner, laughing, surrounded by clouds of perfume and that sheen of confidence that came with popularity and beauty.  _Check_.  _Check_.  _Check_.

Lauren Zizes - intimidating in her chair front and centre, simply daring any of the people around her to make fun of her or act like she didn't belong.  _Check_.

Mike Chang - running his hands down Tina's spine to make her wriggle and laugh, smiling up at her in that utterly besotted way of his.  _Check_.

Sam Evans and Artie Abrams - arguing about which of the Star Wars films was the worst, their voices carrying and growing shriller with the heated debate.  _Check_.  _Check_.

Finn Hudson - looking like he would rather be anywhere other than practicing vocal warm-ups with Rachel, but his arm around her shoulders still affectionate.  _Check_.

Noah Puckerman - sitting close to the three cheerleaders, effortlessly cool, lounging across two chairs with a booted foot kicked up on the drum kit.  _Check_.

Will Schuester - their coach, their teacher, turning around from the board where he's written  _NEW YEAR? NEW DIRECTIONS!_ and scanning the room with a slight frown. "Where's Kurt?"

The door crashes open, and Kurt scuttles in with a small smile on his lips, saying, "Sorry, Mr, Schue, I got caught up talking to Coach Sylvester." Drawing himself up to his full height, he proudly says, "You are looking at the newest Senior Captain of the Cheerios." In perfect unison, Quinn, Brittany and Santana all shriek their congratulations and rush to throw their arms around Kurt in a perfectly-groomed group hug.

Kurt Hummel - perfect. Long legs in tight jeans, toned arms shown off by short sleeves, hair perfectly swept up. Smile stunning, eyes bright, talent blazing out of him like sunbeams. Ambitious, intelligent, determined, brave. Everything.  _Check_.

That just leaves him - Blaine Anderson. Sitting at the back of the room, separate from all the noise and companionship. Away from Mercedes, now texting Tina the latest gossip. Away from Rachel, curled into Finn's side and smiling in contentment. Away from Sam, still casting sideways glares at Artie as he turns to talk to Puck. Away from  _Kurt_ , sitting up straight and proud in his chair. Not hunched over in shame, trying to be invisible, or staring hungrily at the smiles on laughing faces, wishing he was truly a part of this illustrious crowd of misfits.

Blaine Anderson - loner.

Loser.

 _Check_.

"Okay!" Will shouts, clapping his hands together to silence the low buzz of chatter amongst thirteen of the fourteen. "So, welcome back to glee club, everybody. As you can see, there are no new faces. Sadly, we're still not a desirable club even after we showed at Nationals. Fifth place doesn't win any awards." Putting a theatrical hand to his heart, he says, "But I have a feeling that this year is our year. This time, we're going all the way to Nationals and we're going to  _win_!" A cheer greets this bold statement, led by the enthusiasts like Rachel and Mercedes, and even Puck joins in the clapping, a beat after everyone else.

Rachel raises her head and immediately begins to speak, "Mr. Schuester, as a number of us in this room are seniors and this is our last year of high school," Puck cups his hands to his mouth and whoops joyously, making the three cheerleaders giggle in adoration, "I think that we should begin focusing on competitions immediately. It is imperative for my NYADA application that I'm able to boast being part of a glee club which at least placed at Nationals."

"Should've joined the Cheerios when you had the chance, Rach," Kurt remarks, still unbearably proud of himself, and Blaine suppresses a shiver of desire. Not just for Kurt's long legs and slender waist and clever fingers - that much is a given. But for that nature. The ease with which he jokes with the people around him, the way he holds himself with so much confidence, the gleam in his eyes. He's clearly never been pushed into lockers or had his belongings snatched from his hands and drowned in the locker room showers. He's never been invisible.

"That's an excellent point, Rachel," Will says, and Blaine hides his small smile when he sees every other girl in the room collectively rolling their eyes at their teacher's sycophantic tone. "For everyone applying to college, I'm happy to write you all references. And I hope you're all going on to do what makes you really happy."

"Nail chicks and drink beer in LA," Puck says under his breath, and everyone laughs again. A seething jolt of jealousy spears through Blaine, and he glares darkly at the back of Puck's head. If only he had that same aura of apathy and intimidation, if only he could make people part like the Red Sea when he walked through the hallway, if only he had boys practically begging to date him. Even now, in rehearsal, Brittany is draping herself over Puck's lap, her head nestled in his crotch, and he's smirking down at her, one hand stroking her side, down to the hem of her short skirt.

"Back off my girl," Santana snarls. It's very quiet, but Blaine hears her, and he sees Puck's hand withdraw. He's always been jealous of that crowd - the jocks and the cheerleaders. Teen royalty. The undisputed elite of McKinley. And now they've welcomed the likes of Rachel and Artie into their group. Everyone but him.

They probably don't even know his name. To them, he's probably just the kid who sits at the back in glee rehearsals and doesn't say a word. Performs the lyrics and choreography as given and doesn't noisily suggest changes. Fades into the background of each number while the rest get to shine. Forgettable.

After ten minutes of loud debate, all talking over each other and pointing out the merits of each individual song, they finally settle on recycling last year's original song,  _Loser Like Me_ , for their invitational. Blaine silently snorts as the bickering for solos starts - as if any of these people know what it's like to be a loser. Although the glee club is still looked down upon, having people like Puck and Santana and Kurt in their club gives them social standing. Gives them protection. A sheen that gets them asked to parties and looked up and down in the corridors and asked to dances.

Except him. He's the only real loser.

* * *

 

Blaine arrives to rehearsal first a week later. No doubt the rest of the group are away canoodling by their lockers or in bathrooms, or arranging parties this weekend, or charming extra credit out of teachers. Pulling his hood up over his hair, he hunches down at the back of the room and pulls out his Chemistry textbook, starting to mark important pages with neon yellow and orange post-it notes.

"Hey dude." His head jerks up in surprise at the greeting, and he can't help the way his lip curls as Puck saunters in, eyebrow piercing winking in the strip lights. "Blaine. Hey, what are you doing in here? Everyone else is planning a party at Rachel's this weekend."

"You guys wouldn't want me there," Blaine says sullenly, looking back down at his textbook and refusing to look up at Puck. He doesn't want to see his reaction. "You're all friends and you all hang out together outside rehearsals and you're all cool. I'm just the loser who rounds out the numbers."

The chair next to Blaine's creaks as Puck sits down, tilting it back against the wall in that consciously cool, 'I don't care if I fall and crack my head open' manner. "To be frank, dude, you are a loser," he says, and Blaine jerks at the harsh words. "Sorry and everything, but you need to take a long, hard look at yourself. You're not even trying to be included, sitting in here when everyone's out there. All you do, every rehearsal, is sit at the back hidden under your hood. No pushing for songs or solos, no trying to change the choreography, no speaking to anyone. You're totally silent."

"Why do you care?" Blaine spits, fury spiking beneath his skin. How  _dare_  Puck make these assumptions about him? "What if I'm doing it because I don't want to be friends with you?"

"Don't give me crap, Anderson," Puck says, and he isn't even angry. He just sounds weary, as if Blaine's denial is simply exhausting him. "You practically drool every time you look at us, you're so desperate to be included. And don't think I've never noticed the way you look at Kurt. I'm surprised you haven't just given up pretending and jumped him yet."

An ugly blush creeps into Blaine's cheeks. He'd never imagined that anyone would notice. "Okay, so you can read me like a book," he says, very quietly, ashamed. Puck stops teasing then, and simply sits and listens as Blaine explains, "I came here after getting beaten up for taking another boy to a school dance. My parents offered Dalton, but I just didn't want to run away from my problems - plus the tuition is really steep, and they're already supporting my brother out in LA. And I thought if I stayed quiet and I kept under the radar, I wouldn't get noticed. And I didn't, until my dad thought I was getting depressed and persuaded me to join the glee club. And then there's all of you. and  _Kurt_ , and I just don't know how to act."

"I used to have that problem too," Puck says, and chuckles at Blaine's shocked look. "Right? How could I have ever had a problem? Me, the Puckster. I've had sex with every girl at this school and started a second go-round. But I wasn't always like this. I used to be a total dork. Until one of my older friends got sick of trying to set me up with girls who just weren't interested and got me a hook-up that transformed me from a boy into the man you see today."

Curling his fingers into fists in his lap, Blaine starts when Puck yanks his hood down, and breaks the silence that's descended between them. "Did he hire you a prostitute?" he asks, and blushes when Puck throws his head back and laughs like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard.

"That myth about you becoming a man after your first time is complete bullshit," he says, chuckling quietly to himself again. "No, what my friend hooked me up with is what I'm going to recommend that you get. Effective immediately. It'll make you instantly popular and help you get Kurt to fall hopelessly in love with you. It's called a squip." Leaning in closer and lowering his voice, as if sharing nuclear secrets, he says, "It's a tiny computer that you swallow, and it nestles in your brain. Tells you what to do. Mine made me into a badass and got me with hundreds of girls. I'm sure one for you would get you into Hummel's ass like you so clearly want."

Blinking at Puck's brashness, Blaine leans closer and asks, "Where would I get one? A... _squip_. Would it really help me?"

"Trust me, dude, in middle school I was a loser," Puck says. "But people don't remember that, because in the very first month of high school I nailed a senior and I was  _legend_. Your squip will change everything, man, it's amazing. You just take it like a pill and it makes your life better." He smirks to himself when the door crashes open and Blaine's eyes go straight to Kurt, arm looped through Santana's as they stumble into the room, both laughing together. "And I'm sure it would help you land Kurt. When you first install it, it reads your mind and finds out all your greatest desires. I think I'm right in saying Kurt is yours."

"I think I'm in love with him," Blaine sighs, and Puck nods sagely, eyes narrowing slightly. But Blaine doesn't have time to process the expression before Puck is climbing down to sit with Mercedes, laying his hand on the inside of her thigh like they're not in school. Smiling slightly to himself, Blaine tugs his hoodie up over his head, folding it neatly over his satchel and stretching his legs out, putting them up on the back of an empty chair.

"Blaine?" The voice makes him start, and his heart miss a beat. Kurt Hummel is  _talking_  to him, even though he looks vaguely annoyed. He's saying Blaine's name, perfect pink lips forming the sound, and Blaine can't help a small smile. "Could you please get your feet off my seat?"

"Yeah, sorry," Blaine says quickly, scrambling to get his feet down and nearly toppling his own seat. And then Kurt smiles at him, and it's like the sun coming out on a rainy day - everything else just goes away. "Sorry. Again."

"It's okay," Kurt says softly, twisting as he sits down to keep looking at Blaine, their eyes meeting for perhaps the first time ever. Transfixed, it takes Blaine a few seconds to catch up to what Kurt is saying. "So are you coming to the party this weekend? Rachel's promised enough drink this time, remember when we ran out at Santana's?"

"I...I wasn't there," Blaine says, and Kurt's mouth snaps shut, cheeks flaring red. "But I'm sure it was awful for you all."

"No one's parents would bring us more so we just had to sit and sober up," Kurt says softly, smiling gently. "But that won't happen this time. Rachel's an only child and her dads are far too indulgent with her. So I hope you'll join us. Glee club parties are alway a riot."

Blaine nods and smiles, and Kurt turns away from him. Leaning over his chair to reach Puck, he whispers, "Can you get me a squip before the party this weekend?"

Casting a sly look at Kurt, Puck smirks at him and says, "Anything to get a brother laid."

* * *

 

Turning the wheel over and over, crawling down the street Puck told him to turn onto and searching for the right house, Blaine tries yet again to swallow his nerves. He thinks about all the people who will have driven down this road before, looking for the same house, the same person. The girls Puck has slept with, with no regard for whether he was officially dating them or not. The boys lucky enough to become his friend, heading down this way for a night of beer and loud guffawing while talking about school. And perhaps, occasionally, Puck's father, looking for a handout from his gainfully employed son (he's heard a rumour).

He's barely ducking out of his car when he hears Puck's voice roaring, "Blaine, my man! Almost thought you'd got cold feet!" Grinning and raising a hand in a bashful wave, Blaine locks his car and hurries to join Puck, leaning casually on the door frame with that familiar smirk on his face. "Hurry up, I still need to run out and buy some booze for tonight. My mom didn't leave for work as early as she usually does, and I have to wait until she leaves."

"The party doesn't start for five hours," Blaine mumbles, and Puck just prods him in the side, looking at him like a stern mother might. "Do I have to prepare or something? Does it take a while to calibrate?"

"I hooked you up with the very latest model, Blaine, the calibration will be quicker than blinking," Puck says, his very tone long-suffering, as if he's explained this a hundred times before. "But it's definitely going to tell you to change what you're wearing. How can you expect to get some cheerleader ass while wearing a  _bowtie_?"

Raising a hand to brush against his bowtie - silk, expensive, a Christmas gift from his parents - Blaine narrows his eyes at Puck. "I don't want it to change me. And I don't just want to get some ass. I want Kurt to have the feelings I have for him for me. I want him to fall in love with me. Not some version of me made by a computer."

"Don't be such a purist," Puck says, his lip curling in a derisive sneer, and Blaine feels like he shrinks to the size of a bug before his gaze. "It's not like the squip controls your actions, you can rebel against its instructions if you love the grandpa look that much. All it does is unlock the guy that's inside you. It'll give the confidence you need to be that guy." He holds out the small white box, barely big enough to hold matches. "I went to a lot of trouble to get you this. If you've changed your mind-"

"No!" Sucking in a deep, steadying breath, Blaine thinks about having a good senior year, a year when he's confident enough to walk up to Kurt and ask him out. In his mind, their first date comes together out of the mist, perfect and romantic, and they kiss beneath the sickly orange glow of the streetlamps, his name like music on Kurt's lips. "Give it to me."

"You'll need a drink with it," Puck says, placing the box reverently on Blaine's outstretched palm. "It should probably be water, but coffee makes it start working faster, and we need time on our side if you want to go to the mall." Blaine opens his mouth to speak, but Puck quickly adds, "You could keep the bowtie, but at least go for some tighter pants."

Six minutes later, Blaine is staring at a rapidly cooling half-full mug of coffee and the white box, fingers steepled together, mind whirling with doubts. With a teasing, "Don't do anything I wouldn't," and a wink, Puck left him alone to go to the liquor store, and now he has no one to tell him to do it. He opens the box and shakes it out into his palm, the small, silvery pill nestling in his hand, so much to fear and yet so much to want.

Kurt Hummel shimmied into his life two years ago at a pep rally. He was nestled comfortably into the bleachers, invisible in his oversized hoodie and battered sneakers, and the music was starting to give him a headache when Coach Sylvester announced the initiation of a new member, and that shy boy with his neat hair and lithe body had crept into the centre of the room and sung his heart out to a Madonna classic, watched by an open-mouthed Blaine. Blaine could still remember the way his heart had started pounding, his gaze sticking to Kurt's swaying hips, then staring at his face as the nerves gave way to confidence and his eyes began to shine. He still has that reaction every time Kurt walks into the room, standing taller now, muscular arms and long legs and perfect hair. This is his chance to have that angel in his arms.

Placing the pill on his tongue, gagging when he tastes bitterness, Blaine quickly swallows the coffee - made with too much sugar and not enough milk - and shudders in revulsion, the after-taste sticking. And he sits and waits, watching the second hand turn around the clock on the wall, his heartbeat matching the ticking, waiting for something. Anything.

 **WELCOME TO SQUIP FIFTH GENERATION. BIENVENIDOS A LA QUINTA GENERACIÓN SQUIP. PLEASE SELECT YOUR PREFERRED LANGUAGE**.

Wrinkling his brow in confusion, Blaine tentatively says, "English." His voice sounds scared to his own ears, a slight shake in his words.

**PLEASE SELECT YOUR PREFERRED VOICE GENDER: MALE OR FEMALE.**

"Male."

**SQUIP 5.0 CALIBRATION AND ACCESS PROCEDURE IN PROGRESS.**

Pain explodes out from behind Blaine's eyes, like the peak of a bad migraine, and he grits his teeth to keep from making any noise beyond a slight hiss of breath. Puck assured him the pain wouldn't last longer than a minute, and would never happen again, but that the squip has to read his mind and gather intel. Even now, it could be working out a strategy for him to get Kurt.

The door crashes open, and Puck staggers in under the weight of a vast cardboard box. Blaine hears the chink of glass on glass, and grins at him. "Is it working yet?" Puck asks, and Blaine shakes his head, very gently. "Yeah, this is the worst part. You'll realise the benefits within an hour, tops."

**Hello, Blaine.**

The voice of the squip is different now, not so robotic. It's just a man talking to him, and it takes a moment for him to remember that no one else can hear it. "It's working!" he tells Puck, and he can't help but smile, thrilled.

**Yes, I'm working. Thank you for giving me a tangible goal to work towards - so many squips are brought in just to 'improve my life'. So abstract. But you - you want to make Kurt fall in love with you. It's easily done.**

"Well then, tell me what to do!" Blaine says urgently, and Puck looks at him, satisfaction in his shark-like grin.

**Please do not speak to me out loud, it will detract from the image we will create for you. Now, since you seem so determined to hang on to your bowties - and they do betray confidence, they're very flamboyant - I'm thinking that we turn you into the very definition of the world 'dapper'. You do have a certain fifties charm, and we can use that. Seems to me that Kurt might like someone to sweep him off his feet. You'll be an expert in romance when I'm done with you.**

_Why can't you just tell me now and get it over with?_

**Because romance takes time, Blaine. Unlike many other teenagers that squips like myself have served, you don't just want to get Kurt into bed - you want him to fall in love with you. Love lasts so much longer than sex, so it takes longer to create. From now on, I want you to watch a different romantic film every night - it will help you. Although, of course, you will also have to practice sex-**

_Practice sex?!_

**Of course, but we can worry about that later. Physical intimacy is also part of a loving relationship, and the importance of a perfect first kiss cannot be overestimated. But the first thing is to change your clothes. You cannot dress like a background character any more, Blaine - from now on, you're a leading man. The nearest mall will take forty minutes of driving to reach, and we have four and a half hours before the party begins. But you must arrive late to create an impression of your new self - so I will talk you through what you're going to do tonight.**

_Like drinking and taking drugs and having sex? It's just the glee club._

**You spend a lot of time with them - they will help you project your new image to the world. And I will help you if you wish to take substances - your first time, you will have to be careful. Tonight will be the first time that any of them see you as a potential sexual partner - we're going to make you 'hot', as your youth culture says.**

"Going to the mall?" Puck asks when Blaine picks up his keys, and he nods. "Good luck. And don't forget to eat before the party, there's so much drink everybody will be smashed."

Looking into Puck's face, his set jaw and the glint of his eyebrow piercing and that warmth that lingers behind his eyes, belying the vision of a badass who cares about nothing and no one, Blaine smiles warmly and says, "Thank you. Really." Puck just nods at him, and Blaine runs out to his car, feeling the squip humming at the back of his mind.

* * *

 

Even though Rachel told the glee club to be at her house around eight o'clock, Blaine doesn't arrive until it's already gone nine, nervously tugging at his jeans, trying to adjust them so they right not cling quite so pornographically to his thighs.

**Leave it alone. This is what you want, to look 'pornagraphic'. They'll look at you and they'll all be shocked. Now, when you walk in, you're going to make yourself a vodka and Coke, with more than a little too much vodka. Even though it tastes bad, drink it all before joining the conversation. Who knows what could happen tonight if you play your cards right. Of course, I'll be here to help.**

_What do I do now?_

**Just ring the doorbell, and if they ask why you're late say that you just came from Scandals.**

_The gay bar?!_

**Yes, Blaine, the gay bar. And smirk - they'll think you hooked up there and be impressed.**

_I would never hook up at Scandals! That place is gross!_

**That's not the point, Blaine! Just concentrate.**

Flattening his shirt - a subtle black-on-black stripe - into his jeans again, Blaine breathes and rings the doorbell. He hears stumbling feet, and is greeted by Rachel Berry, barefoot, one strap of her red dress sliding down her shoulder, a glass of something that definitely isn't water in her hand and traces of red lipstick on her smiling mouth. "Hey Blaine!" she says loudly, and bumps her lips gently against his cheek. "We were starting to think you weren't coming!"

"Sorry, I was at Scandals," Blaine says, and he can't help the thrill when Rachel's eyebrows shoot up and her smile becomes a knowing smirk. "Anyway, it seems like you've already got started on the drink." He nods to her cup, and she shoves it into his chest.

"I haven't had any of it anyway," she says with a shrug. "It's vodka and Coke - diet, obviously. Come on down, everyone's already here." He watches her walk away, with that sway of her hips, noticing the kicked off heels surrounding the door in an arc, and smiles when she says, "You look amazing, by the way. Why don't you dress like this for school?"

"I might have to, now a beautiful girl like you thinks I look amazing," Blaine says, and the squip quietly says  **Good one**. Rachel laughs, and Blaine just stares, bewildered. Popularity can't be this easy. If it was, everyone would do it.

"Blaine!" The shout that goes up when he walks into the room is loud, and he grins around at familiar faces, faces who've ignored him for so long. He wasn't even aware they knew his name until now, as Santana holds out a lazy hand and says, "Come on, you're just in time for Spin the Bottle. My idea."

"And yet again we're all going to watch you cheat to get Brittany," Mercedes says with companionable disdain, and Santana waves her middle finger at the other girl, who just laughs and takes another drink from the bottle in her hand.

"And yet again you'll all have no idea how I did it," Santana says, and drains her bottle, setting it on the floor between them all. "Pick a damn seat, Anderson, so we can start the game." Staring anxiously at Puck, who just nods, Blaine joins the group on the ground, planting himself next to Tina, who grins at him around the straw that's smudged her purple lipstick.

Reaching into the circle with perfectly manicured nails, Santana spins the bottle, her eyes glinting as it slows to point at Brittany, who claps her hand and squeals in delight, as if they didn't know it was going to happen. But Blaine smiles at the obvious show of affection, and laughs when Quinn jerks Santana back from the kiss a little harder than necessary, and a slightly glassy-eyed Brittany spins the bottle to land on Mike, scrambling across the circle for a chaste peck. Mike kisses Lauren, Lauren kisses Finn, Finn kisses Quinn, Quinn kisses Rachel - to loud whooping from Puck despite the briefness of the dry peck - and Rachel spins the bottle to land on Blaine, grinning at him from across the circle.

"I'm going to rock your world," she says, crawling across to him. The strap of her dress is still hanging loose over her shoulder, bright red against her skin, and Blaine can see the splash of matching red across her cheeks that the alcohol has given her, her eyes artificially shiny and her movements slightly sloppy. She kisses him grinning, and their lips don't quite fit together, but she smells nice and her skin is warm, and the squip tells him  **Cup her face. Even though she isn't a boy, all kissing is good practice. Make Kurt see what you could be to him.**

"Nice try, Rachel, but I'll always be gay," Blaine says when she shuffles back into her place in the circle, and she laughs loudly, tucking her head against Finn's shoulder and picking up her glass of pink alcohol. He wonders if he's imagining it, or if Kurt is suddenly looking at him differently. Spinning the bottle, he laughs loudly when it comes to rest on Finn, both of them shaking their heads, and the game ends in a haze of people yelling, "That's  _cheating_!"

The lights are low and the music is loud, and Blaine has had enough to drink that he feels dizzy with it. Santana and Brittany have taken over the entire couch, making out, and he watches them as he twists with Lauren. Santana's hands are in Brittany's curled hair, fingers stroking through the strands, and they look happy, tangled up like they are. His heart clenches with loneliness.

**You could have someone tonight, if you really wanted. You could go to Scandals and-**

_No. Not until this stupid practicing sex thing you want me to do. I don't want sex. I want love._

And then someone's hand is curving around his hip, and there's a bottle of cider being held in front of him, and he turns to Kurt's shining eyes and pink mouth hovering inches above his own. "Hi," he says softly, and Blaine grins at him, the music thumping loudly. "Will you come upstairs with me? It's too hot in here and I'm starting to feel sick." He's slurring his words, and swaying slightly where he stands and, well, Blaine's not had enough to drink that he's incapable of climbing a few stairs. Probably.

**You haven't.**

Kurt hangs onto him as they climb the stairs, and when they reach the top he laughs and says, "I never realise how drunk I am until I try to climb stairs." Holding the plastic bottle in one hand, he bounds outside barefoot, wearing only his shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and those  _impossibly_  tight jeans. Really, it's criminal that anyone's legs can look quite so incredible.

They sprawl out on the dew-damp grass, and Kurt tilts the bottle to his lips. Caught up in watching the motion of his swallowing, it's a few seconds before Blaine says, "If you feel sick, maybe you should stop drinking."

"It's cider, it barely counts," Kurt scoffs, and smiles. "I feel better now, anyway. It was the heat and the music and all the people. Sometimes I just like to be alone. People can annoy me sometimes." The way he glances at Blaine out of the corner of his eyes, the twist of one corner of his mouth, makes it clear he's teasing, and Blaine isn't sure how to respond. He didn't expect to be invited in so easily.

**Alcohol. If the entirety of your school was drunk all the time, you'd never feel so alone.**

_Of course._

**If they like you when they're drunk, they'll remember that you were witty and kind. No more alcohol, only water or soda - sober up, then you can offer rides home. As for this conversation, tease back. This is a little light flirting - take advantage of it.**

"What does that make me, then?" Blaine asks softly, and he can see the smile on Kurt's face grow.

"A chaperone," he says, and shuffles closer, offering Blaine the bottle. He shakes his head, and Kurt laughs loudly. "See, you're not drinking now! You're like a bodyguard. Good for you, we've been needing someone responsible. Not everyone can walk home - I don't trust Britt, Quinn or San on those ridiculous heels."

"It's not safe for anyone to walk home alone," Blaine says anxiously, looking at Kurt and wondering if he's done that before. He's so publicly out - in a town like this, in the dark, anyone could've hurt him. "Especially if you've been drinking."

"Relax, Blaine, we don't walk alone," Kurt says, his words slurring as he looks up at Blaine, mouth twisted in a lazy smile. "Me and Finn obviously live together, and Rachel and Quinn and Tina all live close to us, so we all walk together, and the others walk the other way. One group has Finn and the other one has Puck and Santana, we're all fine." Lying back on the grass, he pulls his iPod carefully out of his pocket and offers a headphone to Blaine. "I hope you like musicals."

A week ago, Blaine would never have believed this was even possible - lying on grass next to Kurt Hummel, barely even aware of the dew soaking into his shirt through his happiness, looking up at the skies and listening to Kurt quietly singing along to the songs, voice soaring to match the high notes in  _The Wizard And I_. Who knows how long they lie there cycling through musicals until Kurt casually says, "You should sing something from Wicked for glee club." Blaine is painfully of how close their fingers are to brushing, thinking about taking his hand. "I mean,  _Dancing Through Life_  is my personal favourite. I think you'd suit Fiyero." He smiles, and his eyes are every bit as bright as the stars peppering the dark sky above them. "You're really nice, Blaine. Why have we never got to see you before?"

"Bad past," Blaine says softly, and Kurt's face falls, his mouth drooping and his shining eyes fading like the sun veiled by clouds. "But not something you need to be upset. I'll carry my own burden." He smiles, just to reassure Kurt that he's okay, and can barely breathe when Kurt curls closer to him with a contented sigh. He can smell Kurt's cologne, the faint scent of hairspray, and he's warm and flushed, cheek on Blaine's shoulder and arm slung casually and harmlessly over his abdomen. Swallowing, throat dry and tongue swollen, Blaine finally manages to say, "Please don't fall asleep."

"I'll try," Kurt says softly, and Blaine can hear the teasing smile in his voice. "But you're so  _cosy_. My ride will be here soon anyway, and me and Finn will head home. I'm sure that you and Mike between you can take the rest home. Teenagers are supposed to pile on each other in the back of their friends' cars."

"You don't want to join in the pile?" Blaine asks softly, and Kurt laughs, shaking his head gently. "Come on, I'd let you ride up front and avoid the pile. What's the point in someone who isn't here coming to pick you up?"

"You'll see," Kurt says, and winks at him. The combination of it all is so much - a warm boy curled up to him, Kurt so close and smelling so wonderful, the squip at the back of his mind prompting  **Make a move. A minor one. Take his hand.**

Blaine is psyching himself up to do it, his fingers inching closer to Kurt's hand pressed against his hip, when headlights sprawl across the dark lawn and Kurt sits up straight, tugging at his shirt and running a hand through his hair. Climbing unsteadily to his feet, he wanders over to the house and shouts, "Finn! Our ride's here!" Springing to his feet, clear-headed and concerned, Blaine rushes to Kurt, struggling into his jacket and jamming his feet into his shoes.

"Come meet him," Kurt says, and Blaine's heart is sinking even as he follows those long legs and the wide shoulders across the lawn to the flashy silver car. The window rolls down, and Blaine's heart is somewhere around his ankles when he sees the man in the car, obviously older than him, a silver ring glinting in his eyebrow and sex appeal clinging to him like a second skin. "Blaine, this is my boyfriend, Elliott. El, this is my new friend, Blaine."

"Get in the car, babe, you're drunk," Elliott says, but it's warm and loving, and he climbs out of the car to help Kurt into the back seat. Blaine can't see them, but he hears quiet murmuring, and the wet sounds of kissing. and his heart clenches with jealousy. Thank God he's thrust aside when Finn comes to join his brother in the car, giving Blaine a second-long grin.

As Elliott climbs into the driver's seat, Kurt takes an eyeliner pencil out of his pocket and scrawls a series of digits on Blaine's hand. "Santana stole my favourite scarf to hide her hickies, so I stole her best eyeliner," he says by way of an explanation, and then presses his cheek gently against Blaine's wrist. "Text me when you get home. Tell me how badly they behaved in the car. I want us to be friends now."

Nodding dumbly, not trusting himself to speak, Blaine watches the car drive away until the lights fade into the darkness, and turns back to the house. He tries not to think about Kurt and Elliott, but he can't help it - he pictures Elliott's tattooed arms around Kurt's slender waist, the two of them kissing, exchanging soft tender words of affection. He didn't even know Kurt had a boyfriend.

**I didn't anticipate this. Of course, love is still possible - you will simply have to be his friend first. And, tonight, we can start by taking some of these people home. I would recommend Noah, Lauren, Brittany, Santana and Sam. Artie's mother is picking him up and the others will be getting home via Mike.**

_How do you know that?_

**I can communicate with Noah's squip, and it's keeping track of how people are getting home to determine how intoxicated he can become. Clearly, the likelihood of him driving was low.**

Puck and Santana fight all the way back to their respective homes over Puck sitting too close to Brittany, and Blaine stares straight ahead at the road, fingers white-knuckled on the steering wheel. He's not sure about the moral implications of making Kurt fall in love when him while he's in a relationship with someone else - perhaps he should simply step down.

**No, Blaine - those are the words of someone who will always settle for second-best. If you think this way, you'll take offers you don't want and marry someone you don't really love simply because you couldn't have the love of your life. From now on, you are someone who will only accept the best of the best. And we'll start projecting this when you sing in glee club on Monday - on the stage, not in the choir room.**

_Okay. But what am I going to sing?_

**Stupid boy, don't you remember? Kurt told you you should be singing Wicked. When you sing it, he'll remember he suggested it and know you listened and remembered, and he'll start to fall for you.**

_You're kind of a genius when it comes to all this romantic stuff._

**It's what I was built for. And don't forget to watch a romantic film before bed. Might I suggest 'When Harry Met Sally'?**

_Sure_.


	2. Two

**Warnings:**  Discussion of assault, discussion of deceit.

 **A/N:**  Songs included in this chapter are  _Dancing Through Life_  from Wicked (Blaine) and  _Watch What Happens (Reprise)_  from Newsies (Blaine, Kurt and Rachel)

* * *

The changes are obvious as soon as Blaine steps into school on Monday morning. Guilt is still prickling hotly at the back of his head at the thought of how much money he's spent in the last few days, but the first thing he notices is the new look in the eyes that swivel to him in the corridors. Maybe it's just his different clothes. Instead of his usual oversized hoodie and battered sneakers, the clothes his squip picked out for him today are brightly coloured - red, white and navy accessorized with a navy bowtie patterned with anchors.

But he realises that the eyes stay on him for longer than they would if they were simply looking at his clothes. Gazes linger on him, and there's whispering lifting the air around him. But it's not malicious. If anything, it's almost  _impressed_.

**Your reputation has preceded you. The whole school will know that you partied with the glee club on Saturday night, and they will respect you more for being in a charmed group blessed with the royalty of McKinley. You must begin to realise, Blaine, that you are important now. Everyone will be watching you.**

Smiling to himself, Blaine is pulling his textbooks out of his locker when he feels a hand brush across the small of his back, and turns to smile at Brittany and Santana, holding hands and both looking at him with heads identically tilted at him. "Hi," Brittany finally says, and beams brighter than the late autumn sun. "I wanted to tell you that I had a really good time with you, and thank you for taking Santana home. I always worry about her when she's drunk."

"Oh please, I can take care of myself," Santana says, rolling her eyes, but the softness around her mouth betrays her. "But you're cool, hobbit. You should hang out with us more often." And then they walk away. The whole exchange was barely more than thirty seconds - but it could change everything.

**This is very good, Blaine. You made exactly the right impression on them. With Brittany, Santana and Noah backing you, no one will touch you. You'll become one of the coolest people in school in their minds. Congratulations - this is the first step in the plan to have Kurt fall in love with you.**

_How is becoming one of the popular kids going to make Kurt fall in love with me?_

**You need this, Blaine. While you were sleeping, I was able to communicate with other squips and access information on Kurt's boyfriend - Elliott Gilbert was a legend while he was at this school. He was a senior when Kurt was a freshman, a male cheerleader and football player, dating the most beautiful girls, but, as legend has it, when he saw Kurt that was all history. They've been dating for three years - it'll take a lot to even begin to overtake the shadow he casts.**

_So you're saying I'm trying to break up the power couple of McKinley high school? The couple everyone knows about? I don't know if I want to do this._

**Is this not why you installed me? To teach you everything I can so Kurt will fall for you and you can be high school sweethearts?**

_Well, yes, but-_

**Then there is no point wasting time with this worrying. What you must spend your time on now is befriending Kurt until he trusts you beyond anyway else. You can become his best friend, his confidante, the person he will always talk to first when he's upset or when he's overjoyed. Listen to him.**

"Blaine!" Footsteps rush across the floor, and then there are arms being thrown around him from behind, and he turns to find Rachel behind him, beaming up at him. "I heard you were going to sing in glee club today, and I just want to say that I can't wait to hear your voice after two years of not knowing what you sound like." She keeps on talking, hardly pausing for breath or stopping to smile when Finn catches up to her and takes her hand, kissing her cheek. But Blaine isn't paying attention, gazing instead at Kurt approaching them, wearing his Cheerios uniform and staring back at him, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smile that warms his heart.

"Hi," Blaine says, almost shyly, as Kurt approaches him. This is the boy who curled up to him on the grass on Saturday night, whose hand he almost took in the darkness, who looked up at the stars with him and who he listened to singing as time stood still. Kurt makes the first move, leaning in for a brief hug, and Blaine lets his hands take Kurt's back uncertainly, a kind of joy he's never known before blooming bright in his belly.

"I heard through the grapevine that you're going to sing this afternoon," Kurt says when he steps back, taking warmth and the scent of his cologne away. "Am I allowed to ask what song it's going to be?"

**Don't say what it is. Surprise him. The look on his face when he realises that you listened to him and absorbed what he was saying will be the best thing you see all week.**

"It's a surprise," Blaine says softly, and Kurt pouts at him, eyes wide and bright, pleading. "Don't give me that look, Kurt, I'm still not going to tell you." Kurt opens his mouth to respond - Blaine is desperately hoping that they'll have a repeat of that light flirting from Saturday night, silly and playful - but the bell sounds to send them all to homeroom, and he bids Finn, Rachel and Kurt goodbye with a smile, watching the trio disappear down the corridor.

School is different, now he's different. Three people have complimented his outfit before he even makes it to first period. Quinn walks by him in the corridor and stops to tweak his bowtie and smile at him with her perfectly pink lips. Tina moves to sit next to him in Spanish, chattering quietly to him for the entire period - he has to admire how she does it all out of the corner of her mouth, never getting caught. He doesn't sit alone at lunch anymore - now he's with the glee club, who are loud and squashed around a table without enough room for them, couples perching on each other to make more space.

Rachel squeals when a ball of foil hits her square between the eyes, and Puck raises his fist in the air triumphantly, grinning even as most of the people sitting around the table roll their eyes. "Seventeen, and still incapable of behaving like an adult," Santana observes scathingly, and they all laugh when Puck coolly raises his middle finger to her.

The conversation becomes swept up in Sectionals, with Rachel, Mercedes and Santana arguing over which one of them should be the lead soloist, and Blaine leans over to Puck and asks, "Do you think any of the cheerleaders have squips like us?" Puck looks at him, and then at the four uniformed cheerleaders - Brittany perched in Santana's lap and eating cherries, Kurt and Quinn both looking bemused by the argument brewing like a storm around the table.

"No way, man," Puck hisses after a long minute of silence. "You weren't at middle school with us, so you won't know this, but they've always been this cool. Quinn was always the ringleader, blonde and beautiful, and Santana was the stone-cold bitch - seriously, she's mellowed since her and Brittany started dating - and Brittany was the one nobody took seriously. They took Kurt under their wing when we started high school, because he tried to play straight with Brittany for about three weeks in middle school and she adores him unconditionally. He always had it in him to be like them, but with them he can show it. They never needed something to show them how to do it. They were always going to be beautiful and confident and popular."

Blaine stays quiet for the rest of lunch, even though his squip gives him the occasional nudge to speak. He wants to watch the way they interact as this new person, feeling like he's in a new body, a new mind. He's not jealous of the way they joke with each other and shamelessly tease each other anymore. He's a part of it now, accepted by this gilded set - he can observe, put in the occasional sharp comment that makes someone laugh, and watch them.

The dynamics are fascinating, even the way people sit, in their groups. The cheerleaders, the jocks, and the rest of the glee club. Brittany is perched in Santana's lap, Tina in Mike's, but Rachel isn't in Finn's. His arm is around her, and they're sitting close. Quinn and Kurt are almost folded into each other, looking for all the world like another couple - they'd certainly be the most handsome couple at McKinley. It's the way they speak to each other too - they're not cautious, displaying all the ease of people who have become comfortable with each other. Dry wit, quickfire barbs, casual raising of middle fingers and occasional squawking at each other for something particularly annoying - it's all part of spending time with the glee club in all their undiluted glory.

By the time the bell for the end of the day rings, and the fourteen of them file dutifully into the auditorium for rehearsal, Blaine's insides are twisting with nerves, and his throat feels dry enough to crack like sand.

_I don't think I can do this._

**You can. You need to silence this negative thinking, Blaine - nerves aren't for people like you. How do you expect to have someone already in a committed relationship fall in love with you if you can't even sing a song without being this nervous? Think about what Kurt will think when you sing one of his favourite songs. You know exactly what you're going to do.**

"Okay, quiet everybody!" Will shouts, walking heavily across the stage to silence the gossip. Blaine clutches his hands together to hide the fact that he's shaking, and is comforted when Rachel squeezes his wrist and gives him a brief but no less reassuring smile. "Today we have one of our long-standing members performing solo for the first time, so I want you all to give Blaine the attention he deserves." He sweeps an arm out, showing off the single microphone in its stand, and smiles welcomingly. "Show us what you've got, Blaine."

Ascending onto the stage to scattered applause, Blaine smiles at his small audience and says, "I'm sure this is a song you all know - you can't fail to know it, being friends with Rachel - so I would invite to join in when you think you should. And, um, Rachel, could you come up here please?" Puck lets out a wolf-whistle as Rachel steps up onto the stage, and Blaine guides her to sit down on a stool from the wings. "Okay, thanks guys."

He lets the auditorium, the people in front of him, the faces looking up at him expectantly, all fade away into nothing. It's just him and the microphone, the spotlight warming his face, and the music swirling as he sings, simple. And then he glances at Rachel, and sees the stunned joy in her eyes, and the surprise on Kurt's face, the blush spilling across his cheeks when he realises why Blaine is singing this song, and he's pulling the microphone out of the stand, confident and clever as he sweeps Rachel into a dance. Laughing, she sings with him, and the whole club join them onstage, pairing off and joining in with the song they all know.

" _Dancing through life, down at the Ozdust_

_If only because dust is what we come to_

_And the strange thing: your life could end up changing_

_While you're dancing through!"_

"I think I just found a new duet partner!" Rachel shouts to cheering from the rest of the club, throwing her arms around Blaine's neck and almost knocking the microphone from his hand. "That was  _amazing_!"

"I absolutely agree with you, Rachel," Will says, a grin on his face that Blaine has never seen directed at him before. "Blaine, where have you been hiding that voice for two years?" Blaine just shrugs humbly, the blush creeping up his neck with pride, and Will nods at him. "I think we're going to have to give you a solo at Sectionals."

Mouthing wordlessly in shock, Blaine manages to breathe out, "That...that would be a dream come true, Mr. Schuester. Thank you so much." Their coach just smiles at him, and dismisses them for a five minute break, a giggling crowd of overexcited performers dispersing until it's just Blaine left on the stage, slotting the microphone back into its stand, still short of breath.

**That was a wonderful performance, Blaine. You pulled them all in with you, and it's clear that they're fully embracing you as a member of the team. Kurt will be falling for you in no time if you can keep being that charming.**

"That was fantastic, Blaine," comes a soft voice, and Blaine turns to find Kurt lingering in the wings, smiling at him. He's still wearing his Cheerios uniform, the fabric clinging to every curve and angle, and Blaine smiles back, walking closer on the dimly-lit stage. "What made you choose that song as your solo debut?"

"You did," Blaine replies easily, and the squip says  **Excellent**  as Kurt blushes, colour creeping into his cheeks, and ducks his head bashfully. "After you suggested that it would be a good choice for me on Saturday night, I spent yesterday listening to it and decided that I couldn't possibly let another rehearsal go by without me performing it for you. For everyone."

Running a hand through his hair, Kurt smiles shyly and says, "It was an amazing performance. You're a natural, Blaine. I hope you're going to pursue musical theatre in college." Biting the corner of his mouth, he adds, "There's a mixer for NYADA applicants this weekend, and Rachel and I are going. If you're considering applying there, you're very welcome to come with us and scope out the competition. Lots of the applicants are in show choirs - it would help us out with Sectionals to know what we're up against."

"Perhaps the three of us could get dinner together?" Blaine suggests gently. "I don't know much about NYADA, but I'm sure you and Rachel will be able to fill me in. Maybe tonight? Seven thirty?"

Kurt bites at his lip, running a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair, and says, "I can't. Mondays are date night for Elliott and I - you know, my boyfriend, you met him at the party - and he made fancy dinner reservations." He must notice a change in Blaine's expression, because he hastily adds, "But we can definitely do tomorrow night. I think Rachel might be developing the tiniest crush on you, despite Finn."

"Well, it'll just be a crush," Blaine says, putting his hands in his pockets and smiling at Kurt, who looks at him with big, bright eyes and his perfect pink lips looking so soft and kissable. "I've known myself for years now, and I don't plan to slink back into the closet." He steps closer, gaze falling briefly to Kurt's mouth, and hears a sharp warning of  **Be careful, Blaine. Making a move this early will ruin your chances.**  "I'd love to treat both of you to dinner."

"You are a real old-fashioned gentleman, you know that?" Kurt teases, and Blaine just shrugs. All the breath seems to whoosh out of him when Kurt reaches out to tweak his bowtie, so close. He's all warm, soft skin and the spicy scent of his cologne and his shining eyes and gentle touch, and Blaine's heart is pounding, warmth in his belly and knots of excitement in his blood - he's so in love with this beautiful man, who smiles once more. "I can't wait to see how you dress now you've finally ditched those terrible baggy clothes. I really like this look."

"Well, my dad has instilled in me an understanding of finance and a love for bowties, and my mum gave me a passion for performing and accessories," Blaine teases him, and Kurt laughs. "I like the way you dress too, Kurt. Honestly, it's criminal that Sue hides your fashionable lights under a bushel by making you wear the uniform to school."

"When you put it that way, Blaine Anderson, I guess I'll have to run all my outfits by you from now on," Kurt says softly, and there's new lilt to his voice, a flirtatious arch in his eyebrows, and Blaine raises an eyebrow at him. "Sometimes I just can't decide between two pairs of jeans, and the girls are wonderful but not always as helpful as I'd like."

"It would be an honour to assist a fashionista such as yourself, Kurt Hummel," Blaine says with a exaggerated English accent, and Kurt laughs again, batting at him. Blaine feels like he's reeling with this easy connection between them, the chemistry bubbling just under the surface - his head is spinning with it all, and the squip barely has to prompt him for them to have this. Everything is so beautifully easy - he's beginning to forget why he's never been this person before, when this has clearly been within him all this time.

Even though rehearsal should be starting again, they linger on the stage, Blaine sitting down with his legs dangling into the orchestra pit and sighing softly when Kurt sits down next to him. "I've never embraced this part of myself," he says quietly. "I've never let myself really enjoy performing - I've always been scared. And getting that, hearing the applause...it's intoxicating."

"You should audition for the musical," Kurt says suddenly, and then he's beaming, as if inspiration has suddenly shone down on him. "It would be perfect! Of course, you and Rachel are the Tony and Maria of any director's dreams! And you'd get to perform with Mercedes, really push yourself. You've got enough time to get an audition and then Artie will have to give in to my demands to double-cast Tony, since I don't think I can do the five performances a week on top of being captain of the Cheerios."

"I wouldn't want to take any of your spotlight," Blaine says, and turns to look into Kurt's eyes as he softly says, "You're amazing, Kurt. You deserve that part, you work so hard."

"I'm very willing to share the spotlight, Blaine - especially with you." Kurt smiles at him, and covers Blaine's hand with his where it's lying on the stage, making his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat. "After rehearsal is over, you're going straight to Coach Beiste to pick an audition slot, and I'm going to watch you bring the house down. You're so talented, Blaine, and I wish you'd let us see it before now." He slides his arm tightly around Blaine, hugging him close, and Blaine smiles into the ground, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Will you come with me to see her?" he asks softly, and Kurt nods eagerly, leaning in closer to him. Glancing at his watch, gleaming silver on his wrist, Blaine startles the moment to shreds by saying, "Shouldn't we be getting back to rehearsal?"

"Can I tell you something first?" Kurt asks, and moves closer, suddenly fidgety, glancing away from Blaine. "You can't tell  _anyone_ , Blaine, I mean it. I know glee club is a family, but families don't know everything about each other." Blaine nods gently, moving closer when he notices the conflict on Kurt's face, and Kurt looks up at him with a hint of a sheen of tears in his eyes, biting at his lip before he finally says, "I'm having temptations."

"Can you elaborate?" Blaine asks quietly. "I'm here, and I'm not going to judge you."

**Perhaps you could be a temptation.**

_Shut up! Kurt's upset and I'm going to try and help him._

"I met this guy at the music store," Kurt confides softly. "Elliott and I have been together for three years, and I've always been secure in what we have, but I'm worried about how that will change with me going to New York next year. It'll be different, and maybe we won't be good together anymore or we'll fall out of love. So this guy asked me for my number, and instead of telling him I'm taken I gave it to him, and he keeps texting me all these flirty sweet things and I just can't seem to tell him to stop."

"How did you and Elliott get together?" Blaine asks. "I mean, I didn't start here until sophomore year, so I don't know the story. I hear you're something of a power couple."

"I know, the senior captain of the Cheerios is dating one of McKinley's most famous alumni, we'll surely win best couple in the yearbook despite the fact that El's been out of high school for three years," Kurt says with a smile, and Blaine can recognise the clear affection even in the nickname. "When I was a freshman I hadn't come out yet, but people still bullied me as a probable gay. Elliott was the captain of the football team and one of the only male cheerleaders at the time, dating the current head cheerleader, but he defended me when some footballers were harassing me. I mean, when a football player with an eyebrow piercing and tattoos defends you and then gives you the most gorgeous smile, you're going to develop a crush on him. I thought it was just the first in a long line of hopeless crushes on straight guys, but he would flirt with me all the time. By the time Christmas came, he'd dumped the girlfriend, and he asked me out for Valentine's Day. We've been together ever since."

"You want my help with this?" Blaine asks, and Kurt nods desperately. "I think that temptation is natural in a relationship, especially with the fear of the future. But you and Elliott love each other, and that's worth so much. You can work through this - I have faith in you. I only met him briefly at Rachel's party, but if he's willing to drive across town to pick up his very drunk boyfriend and his boyfriend's equally drunk stepbrother, he's a keeper."

"You know he put me to bed too?" Kurt asks, and Blaine smiles at the thought. Even though he wants Kurt for himself, he can recognise that Kurt clearly likes a man with some charm and manners, if Elliott's consideration is anything to go on. "He took off my shoes and socks and refused to stay when I kept pulling at him - I can get kind of clingy when I'm drunk. He left a bucket by my bed, and then went to get Finn and I some water and aspirin for the morning. He's such a sweet guy. Leaving him behind next year is really going to hurt."

"See, you love him," Blaine says, nudging his shoulder against Kurt's to make him smile. "Just talk to him about the situation, and I'm sure he'll be able to help. Attraction to other people is only natural, but you love Elliott and you've both been faithful for three years. You give me faith in high school relationships." Kurt smiles softly, and hugs Blaine tightly. Sinking into him, a little surprised, Blaine nuzzles into his shoulder, surrounded by his warmth and the scent of the fabric softener used on his uniform and his cologne, clinging in a silky layer to his skin. When he moves away, Blaine squeezes his wrist and says, "We really should get back to rehearsal. Wouldn't want to start the rumour mill running."

"God, they would," Kurt observes with a slight chuckle, and they both slide down from the edge of the stage, rushing back to the choir room as the minutes tick by to four thirty and the end of rehearsal.

When they open the door, Kurt lets out a squeal and Blaine can't help but smile at his happiness. It's twenty past four, and Elliott is sitting among the glee club, looking more of a dork than Blaine would've expected from his reputation in his sweater and glasses. The couple smile so sweetly at each other that it's clear to everyone how they feel about each other, and Elliott gets up to swing Kurt around in a hug. As Blaine sits down next to Santana, she mutters, "So frickin' charming," but there's affection in her tone.

As Kurt's feet touch the ground again, his eyes starry and his cheeks flushed, he wraps his arms around Elliott's neck and kisses him square on the mouth. Even from an outside perspective, it's a thorough kiss, and Puck wolf-whistles shrilly while Sam pumps his fist in the air and Artie yells, "Get it!"

"Alright, Kurt, that's enough," Will says sternly, and Kurt steps back from his boyfriend, blush deepening at the catcalls. "Dismissed, everybody. I'll put together a few ideas for Sectionals for Thursday's rehearsal and we can all brainstorm together. Blaine - having seen you perform, I'm almost certain that we're going to award your bravery and talent with the solo."

"That would be an absolute honour, Mr. Schue!" Blaine says breathlessly, and as he walks past Kurt he reaches out to squeeze his hand, grinning proudly with his dark, shining eyes.

"You're Blaine, right?" Elliott asks, his arm around Kurt's waist, and Blaine nods, pushing down the hot spike of jealousy. This is Kurt's boyfriend, yes, but he's a genuinely good guy and Kurt clearly loves him - he has no business hating Elliott or trying to meddle. "Kurt's been telling me all about his new best friend. I just wanted to thank you for being outside with him at that party. Kurt can get really flirtatious and silly when he's drunk, so I'm sorry if he came onto you."

**Tell him Kurt came onto you. Sow the seeds of jealousy.**

"He didn't," Blaine says, and Kurt grins at him, relief in his eyes as he leans into Elliott. "I promise, hand on heart. We just listened to music and looked at the stars and talked a little. He's a great guy - you're very lucky."

"Always have been," Elliott says, kissing Kurt's cheek, and Kurt giggles at the contact, a smile on his face that makes Blaine's heart swell with affection. "Do you have a boyfriend, Blaine? Maybe we could double date." Blaine shakes his head, and the older boy continues, "Maybe I could set you up with one of my friends. There's this guy I know from school, Adam, you seem like just his type. He's from England, I'm sure you'd be equally matched in charm."

"That's very sweet, but I'm not interested in a relationship right now," Blaine says, and Elliott's smile dims a little. "I just want to concentrate on school and figuring out what I really want to do in college."

"Blaine's going to come to the NYADA applicant mixer with Rach and I!" Kurt bursts out, and Elliott smiles at him, his expression so focused and adoring that Blaine has to smile at him. "Maybe we'll all go to New York together, and we'll share a big studio apartment like in the movies."

"I think you're going to love being friends with Kurt," Elliott says, winking at Blaine, and the two of them walk out, arms around each other. Blaine looks after them, unsure of how exactly to feel.

"Doesn't that hurt?" comes a voice, and he turns to see Puck standing behind him. "Seeing them together? I mean, you really like Kurt. How can you stand interacting with his boyfriend and always seeing them together and in love?"

"If I want Kurt to develop real feelings for me, I have to be his friend before anything else," Blaine says with a small shrug. "That means supporting his relationship and not trying to force my way in where I don't belong. If they break up naturally, I will be there for Kurt - if they don't, I'll be there too."

"You're a better person than me." With that cryptic statement, Puck is gone, and Blaine is standing alone. After a brief visit to Coach Beiste to schedule an audition for the musical, he heads home, thinking with a sinking feeling of the pile of homework teetering on the edge of his desk.

**Why are you helping Kurt with his relationship? Why didn't you tell him to indulge the temptation? Why didn't you tell Elliott Kurt hit on you at the party?**

_I don't want to tell lies just so Kurt will be single. If he gets his heart broken, how receptive do you think he'll be to another relationship? He's happy with Elliott, and I want him to be happy._

**Blaine, saying things like that is exactly the reason you've never dated anyone. Why didn't you at least say yes to Elliott's offer of a blind date? If Kurt sees you with another man, he'll start to feel jealous and he'll realise exactly how he feels about you. Then he'll break up with Elliott and be in your arms, and you'll have a chance to practice kissing and sexual contact.**

_No! I don't want to date and have sex with one of Elliott's friends to make Kurt jealous. I want Kurt to fall for me because of who I am, not some gimmick._

**I made you this person, Blaine. Kurt doesn't love who you really are. He barely even noticed that quiet, scared boy who sat at the back of glee club and said nothing. He likes the charmer I'm making you.**

_You don't control me._

**Don't I?**

* * *

 

"So tell me all about your audition for the musical, Blaine!" Rachel says, a little too loud and shrill. Kurt makes a face at her, then winks at Blaine, who has to duck into his menu to hide the fact that he's laughing.

"Inside voice, honey," Finn says, putting an arm around Rachel and drawing her closer, just so she quiets and goes a little pink and smiles brightly. Blaine's not sure how Rachel managed to persuade him to bring Finn along on what was supposed to be a trio dinner, but they promised not to act too couple-y so there's not much he can do. Finn is, after all, Rachel's boyfriend and Kurt's stepbrother. If he wants to be friends with them, Finn is going to be in his life, and he should try to get along with him.

"It went really well," Blaine says with a smile at Rachel, who looks so utterly charmed that he believes the truth behind Kurt's guess that she's developing a tiny crush on him. It'll be reassuring for Kurt, to see that temptation and minor crushes are all part of a relationship - but as long as the trust and commitment are still there, nothing will go wrong. "I sang  _Something's Coming_ , and Artie, Coach Beiste and Ms. Pilsbury all looked really impressed. I mentioned that Kurt wants Tony double-cast to take some of the pressure off him," he smiles at Kurt and continues, "with him being head cheerleaders and student council elections coming up-"

"That reminds me, Rach, I was hoping you'd be my running mate," Kurt says, and Rachel puts a theatrical hand to her heart, her mouth open in a gasp and eyes shimmering with tears. "I've asked Mike and Tina to run my campaign, and I need a strong vice-president candidate at my side to beat out Brittany and Quinn being managed by Santana. This is going to be a ruthless campaign."

"It would be an honour, Mr. President," Rachel says with a wink, and Kurt grins at her.

"Anyway, Artie seemed really open to it, since they're already double-casting Maria to give both lovely ladies a chance to shine their brightest," Blaine says, and Rachel blows a kiss to him across the table. "But what I'm really interested in hearing about is this NYADA mixer that you two are dragging me into."

"Basically it's a night for all the applicants to NYADA in Ohio to come together and perform and have some fun and friendly competition," Rachel says with a beam. "Kurt and I, however, have already decided that we are going to sing the classic  _Popular_  from Wicked, rearranged as a duet, and we'll blow all competition out of the water. It's just a few hopeful kids, how hard can it really be?"

"Of course we'll blow them all away, Rach, we're fabulous," Kurt says, and Rachel reaches out to squeeze his hand, grinning from ear to ear. Blaine looks between them, and smiles at their confidence and their happiness.

Seeing Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry losing all faith in themselves is a horrifying and harrowing experience. Having watched the current hopeful NYADA applicants, a series of people too young to apply but already preparing, both of them are slumped against the walls outside, crying desperately, faces streaked with tears and eyes swollen. "I can't believe we thought we'd be able to swan in here and be better," Rachel whimpers through her tears, accepting the tissue Blaine offers and blowing her nose noisily. "What the hell were we even thinking? We're just going to stay here the rest of our lives for community theatre."

"Oh  _God_ ," Kurt sobs, and pitches sideways against the wall, tears sliding down his cheeks anew. "I have  _never_  been so humiliated."

**You need to pull them out of this. Kurt is definitely going to love someone who gets him out of a slump.**

"Oh for God's sake, what are you two talking about?!" Blaine exclaims, and both look at him with wide eyes, cheeks and noses red from crying. "You're Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry. From the first time either of you sang the whole world has known you're headed to Broadway. Are you really going to let them scare you off?"

"I'm leaving," Rachel says, wiping at her eyes. "I'd prefer to be embarrassed by the glee club. At least I know they love me. Those kids just see me as the embarrassing failure with zero onstage experience."

"Get up, both of you," Blaine says sternly, and they both reluctantly get to their feet. "Now stop crying, come on. Wipe your eyes and straighten your clothes. I have an idea for something we can sing as a trio. It's from  _Newsies_ , I'm sure you both know it."

As he puts his hand on the door to the room where the performers are waiting, opening it to the faces all staring at the three of them, Kurt sharply says, "There is no way I'm going back in front of those kids."

Sidling over to the speakers Rachel brought, Blaine looks up at the pair, clutching each other's hands and looking so vulnerable, and says, "Tell me how quitting does either of you any good."

"I...um..."

"Exactly." As the music starts, Blaine grins and says, "So here's how it goes," and slides easily into singing, " _Once we win - and we will be winning - make no mistake-"_

Rachel just lifts an eyebrow as she says, "We'll be what?"

" _We're already winning!"_

"Right."

" _And we'll tell them straight out: they let you two go or they keep getting pounded."_

Hands on her hips, Rachel crosses to him, singing, " _Blaine, what the hell? Did they bust up your brains or something? As I recall, Blaine, we all got our asses kicked, they won-"_

"Won the  _battle_!"

"Oh come on."

" _Rachel, think about it, we've got them surrounded!"_

Kurt jumps in with, " _Here's what I think, she's a jerk, she's a rattlesnake,"_  as he casts a deadly glare at Harmony, her arms folded as she watches them with one eyebrow raised and the most infuriating smirk on her face.

"You're right!" Blaine says, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. " _And you know why a snake starts to rattle?"_

"No, why?"

"Cause she's scared!"

"Sure."

" _Go and look it up, the poor girl's head is spinning! Why would she send for the goons,"_  he gestures around at the motley collection of born performers surrounding them, all mimicking Harmony, " _an entire army, dozens of goons and the cops and-"_

" _You know, you may be right!"_  Kurt is starting to smile, loosening up as the performance washes over him.

" _Thank you God!"_

Rachel grips Blaine's arm, grinning as she sings, " _If she wasn't afraid-"_

" _Exactly!"_

All three of them grin at each other, rushing towards the stage and the standing microphones, as they belt out, crystal clear, " _She knows we're winning!"_

The song is amazing, all three of them bouncing off each other so easily, and as they bring it to a triumphant close the group around them are looking decidedly sour-faced. "You lot better watch out," Kurt says into the microphone, voice strong. "NYADA only takes twenty students a year, and this year three of them are going to be us."

They walk out together, taking their speakers with them, and the moment they get out into the parking lot Rachel hugs Blaine tightly. "That was so great!" she squeals, and Blaine laughs at her excitement as she dances in a circle around him. "I can't thank you enough for that stroke of genius, Blaine, it stopped us from being completely humiliated. No one is better than us, no one."

"You both know that," Blaine says gently, and they smile at him, arms linked and faces softened, the tearstains all but gone. "When you sing  _Popular_  onstage at Sectionals, everyone in Ohio will know that both of you are destined for the stage." They beam at him, and Blaine feels that thrill of joy, knowing he's being accepted and appreciated and befriended.

**This is working out perfectly, Blaine. Just look at Kurt's eyes when Rachel touches you. Even if he won't admit it to himself or to you, he is jealous of the way she hangs all over you like a pathetic little puppy.**

_Stop it. Rachel's not like that. She knows that I'm gay and I'm not going to be anything to her. And Kurt doesn't have feelings for me - he's in love with Elliott. They have a stable and loving relationship that's been strong for three years. I've got no business ripping them apart._

**Oh Blaine, haven't you heard the latest news circling the gossip ring of McKinley. Are you so busy making eyes at the boy you're too much of a coward to go after to hear the gossip? Kurt and Elliott are on the rocks - Kurt came into school with red eyes yesterday and according to cheerleaders in the know he was irritable at their practice, meaning he's not been sleeping. And as his family are all in good health, that sort of stress is down to strain in his relationship. Perhaps Kurt acted on that temptation.**

_You're insane. Kurt is a good person and he wouldn't cheat on his boyfriend. And stress is probably down to school - he's playing the lead in the musical, he's senior cheerleading captain and he's running for senior class president on top of our intensive rehearsals for Sectionals and keeping up his GPA for college. I don't want to work my way into the possible cracks in his relationship. I have to just be there for him. He's my friend._

**No, he's the friend of the man I've turned you into. Not that shy, scared boy who wouldn't relinquish his baggy hoodie and was so invisible no one even remembers you were one of the original twelve members of glee club.**

_Most of this is on me, you've barely given me any advice. I know who to be. I could be this person without you. I could just get rid of you._

**Are you willing to take that chance? What will you do about Kurt? Knowing you, you'll give him some advice that will make his relationship perfect and solid and grounded again, and in six years you'll be standing with some man you don't even love watching him marry Elliott. You need me. You don't have the inner strength needed to do this alone.**

"Blaine?" Rachel's voice breaks through the haze of his conversation with the squip, and Blaine blinks and smiles slowly at her, watching the colour sprawl across her cheeks like the petals of a flower. "You and Kurt can come and stay at my place tonight, if you want. My dads have gone to visit my biological mother and her adopted daughter, so I'm by myself with the piano. We could practice our songs for Sectionals, if you want."

"Rach has a ridiculous amount of sheet music, and I'm sure we can get the chords for  _Blame It On The Boogie_  online," Kurt says, slipping an arm around Rachel. Blaine notices the way she leans into him, looking comforted in his arms, and he momentarily envies how they've bonded, come together against the world. Then Rachel reaches for his hand, and he knows that, somehow, he's made his way into their band of misfits too. It's the three of them on a raft in a vast ocean, looking for the land and finding it together in the music.

"That sounds wonderful," he says, and they smile at him, Kurt's head leaning gently on top of Rachel's. "But what will your neighbours think?"

"They got a court order last year to force us to soundproof the basement," Rachel confides as they scramble into Blaine's car, the delicious scent of the pasta they ate before arriving lingering on the air. "So now we keep the piano and everything down there. It's great for parties - we can make as much noise as we want without needing to apologise the next day."

"I'm sure many Broadway stars started out as teenagers forced to soundproof their basement," Kurt jokes as he buckles his seatbelt, and Rachel rolls her eyes exaggeratedly, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.

They end up taking over Rachel's house for the night, dragging blow up mattresses down to the basement. There's a lot of indignant shrieking on her part when Blaine bounces on the mattress she's just finished inflating and it goes flat again, and Blaine can hear Kurt's laugh from the kitchen where he's making them all scrambled eggs and toast. "Kurt!" Rachel shouts where she's sprawled across the one inflated mattress trying to fit a sheet on, and Kurt appears at the top of the stairs, looking absolutely delectable, barefoot with his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, a wooden spoon in one hand. Blaine stares at him for a second too long, and starts plumping pillows when Rachel's voice shocks him back into real time. "Add some tomatoes to mine, would you? And make sure my Diet Coke has lots of ice in it."

"Yes, Ms. Berry," Kurt says, and winks at Blaine when Rachel sighs heavily and flops across the blanket in her flannel pants and tight little T-shirt. "Blaine, you want anything specific like the princess over there?"

"Hold the tomatoes, but I'd love a Coke," Blaine says with a smile, and Kurt grins at him, cocking his hip in a way he must know is head-spinningly sexy.

"Anything for you." He disappears again, and Blaine quickly pulls the pump out of the second mattress and pops it shut, staring proudly at his handiwork.

"Looking at him now, you wouldn't think he was so afraid to come out that he pretended to have a crush on me so he wouldn't have to date Mercedes," Rachel says, and Blaine turns to her with shocked eyes. "Yep. It was a big thing at the time, she hurled a brick through his car window. Freshman year, the three of us got detention for an altercation with footballers after they slushied us. This was before Elliott became Kurt's night in a shining letterman jacket, of course. Anyway, we shouted some bitchy things and got overheard by an unsympathetic teacher and reported. We had to help out at the bake sale to fund the football players getting to their away games as punishment, and Kurt had this crush on Finn that he'd been nurturing all through middle school. But Mercedes thought they had a thing going on, but Kurt was too scared to come out and said he was in love with me. She wasn't pleased."

"Understatement of the century," Kurt says as he descends into their haven, perching on the mattress and carefully lowering the tray loaded with three plates and three glasses, all clinking sharply together. "I had to pull some very fancy footwork to explain that to my dad. I don't think he was surprised at all when I came out, to be honest. He wasn't so great when I started dating Elliott, but he's so supportive now. Always joking about the stories he'll have to tell at my wedding." Blaine can't help but notice he says 'my', not 'our' - as in him and Elliott - and wonders what might be lurking behind his impeccable clothes, swept-up hair and bravado.

Settling her plate on her neatly crossed legs, Rachel leans back in her beanbag chair and says, "Put a movie on. But not  _Mamma Mia_ , Tina, Mercedes and I watched it last girls' night. There are only so many times I can imitate Pierce Brosnan."

" _Moulin Rouge_?" Blaine suggests, and Kurt's eyes light up. "It's my favourite movie musical."

"Mine too!" Kurt exclaims, almost dislodging his plate as he pulls the DVD from the wire rack next to the TV and eagerly starts it, the haunting opening melody filling the room thanks to the speakers. "Don't you think  _Come What May_  is one of the most romantic songs of all time?"

" _Right_?!" Blaine near-shouts, and Rachel grins at them. "I mean, can you imagine singing that with someone? Admitting that kind of love? Feeling it down in your soul? It would be-"

"A more intimate act than sex!" Kurt is beaming, his eyes bright, and Blaine can't help but smile back even as Rachel lets out a little sniffle and reaches for tissues. "Rachel,  _really_? We've barely even started."

"You can't help but thinking about the tragic ending the whole movie, Kurt!" Rachel snaps, blowing her nose. "They were meant to be, and their love barely even got a chance to flower. It's such a tragic romance."

As the movie plays, they all tip closer together. Rachel falls asleep towards the end of  _Elephant Love Medley_ , her head on Kurt's shoulder, and Blaine has to swallow his laughter as he helps Kurt manoeuvre her gently down onto the mattress. When Kurt climbs up onto the couch, he tucks both of them beneath the blanket, curled so close to Blaine that he can hardly breathe with it. "I used to watch this with my mom when I was little," he says quietly, and Blaine listens quietly. "She used to sing all of Satine's lines from  _Come What May_ , and tell me it was how she felt about my dad, and one day I'd feel like that about someone too."

"Elliott?" Blaine asks softly, and he winces when the squip shrieks at him in anger, a wordless scream.

Kurt looks down, avoiding Blaine's gaze, shifting his feet beneath the blanket. "When we first got together, I felt like every day was Valentine's Day," he says, so quiet, and Blaine's heart is pounding like a drum. Kurt is opening up to him, telling him things he probably has no right to know when they've only been close a few days, but the connection between them is so  _real_ , "Elliott used to bring me coffee every morning, kiss me at my locker in front of everyone until they stopped even trying to report us for PDA, walk me to class and let me wear his letterman jacket. It was like having my very own Superman. That summer was wonderful too - spending all that time together. His parents were visiting his sister in Australia because she was due with her first child halfway through July, I practically lived at his place." A far-away look crosses his eyes and he very softly says, "Our first time."

"What was it like?" Blaine asks softly, and a flush steals across Kurt's cheeks, making Blaine hastily add, "You don't have to tell me, of course. I was just curious...I mean, I've never even had a kiss that I would like to count as my first. A real one, where both people involved wanted to kiss each other."

"It's okay," Kurt says, and leans against him with a nostalgic little sigh. "Our first time was perfect. I thought I wasn't ready, wouldn't be for a long time - I'd just turned fifteen, we'd only been dating a few months, but when he held me it felt right. He made us dinner, we lit candles, took a bath together. He knew how much I liked romance, there was a playlist and everything." Blaine can't help a small laugh, and Kurt smiles. "In the end, I didn't need any of it. Just him, because I was so in love with him it hurt to keep it all inside. But now...things are different. They started to change when he started college, and I missed having a boyfriend at school with me. I joined glee club, and cheerleading, made new friends, found the spotlight. Sometimes I think Elliott's still in love with the wilting flower he protected from footballers three years ago. The boy who needed someone to protect him."

Turning to look at Kurt, Blaine promises, "You are amazing, Kurt. If Elliott can't see that and can't appreciate who you've become, then you shouldn't let that hurt your relationship. If he doesn't love someone who can defend themselves and loves the spotlight and does all the wonderful things you do, he doesn't deserve you."

Kurt smiles at him, and leans closer with a sigh. "I can't believe it's only been a week since the party," he says softly. "I feel like I've known you forever."

"And Sectionals is only a few weeks away, and Christmas draws ever nearer - just two weeks after Sectionals," Blaine says, and Kurt groans.

"Don't remind me, I have no idea what to get anyone." Blaine just beams at him, and they curl up together to watch the rest of the movie. As Kurt's breathing evens out, Blaine carefully lays him down on the couch, sliding a pillow under his head and sliding down onto the empty mattress.

**Make a move while he's sleepy. He'll be so groggy he won't realise who's kissing him until it's too late.**

_Don't be insane! I would never do that! That's assault!_

**It's not something to overlook.**

_Leave me alone._

* * *

 

The lights are still whirling and Rachel's shrieks are echoing in his ears as Blaine walks back into the choir room, taking a seat at the piano to try and calm his spinning head. The rush of performing is hot in his blood, feeling those gazes on him while he sang alone, the people all eating out of his hand by the end of the first verse of  _Ladies Choice_ , charmed. He's grinning, he can't help it, and he relives every glorious moment as he sits there, running his fingers along the smooth keys and smiling to himself.

"There's the Link Larkin of everyone's dreams," comes a familiar voice, and he smiles at Kurt in the doorway. He looks stunning in the outfits Tina called 'sixties heartthrob crooner', his tie a little crooked and vest drawing attention to his incredible shoulder to waist ratio. "You were amazing out there, Blaine."

"You and Rachel too," Blaine says, and Kurt gets this pleased little smile that makes him want to compliment him over and over again, because he could never run out of nice things to say about Kurt. "You two surely clinched the win for us."

"Oh no, that's all on you, Blaine," Kurt says, and crosses the room to sit next to Blaine on the piano stool, their thighs pressed together and his warmth and scent invading Blaine's space, making him a little dizzy with it all. "You were so handsome up there, there wasn't a girl in the audience who didn't want a piece of you. You should've stayed and signed some autographs for your adoring public."

"I'd rather be in here," Blaine says. "I'm not quiet used to performing solo yet. Need some time to calm down from the rush." Kurt nods sympathetically, and moves even closer, pulling over an abandoned book of sheet music and flipping through the pages, long fingers flying.

"Why don't the two of us sing a song to cool off?" he suggests quietly, and sets the book in front of Blaine with a small, shy smile. "I've wanted to sing with you since I first heard your voice, I think we could sound amazing together." Pointing to the title, he says, "And this is my favourite Christmas song."

Blaine is smiling even as he plays the opening notes, and his eyes are shining when Kurt's crystal clear voice echoes through the room with the sweet opening, " _I really can't stay."_

They sing together, and they sound as perfect as Blaine could ever have dreamed. Kurt is circling the piano like a bird over its prey, smiling, and as the song continues he takes off his vest and tie with enticing little sways of his hips, and Blaine is grinning at his silliness, his dramatic fluttering of his eyelashes and little smiles and flirtatious winks. It's all so over the top and silly, but when Kurt perches close to him on the piano to conclude the song, the tension is thick in the air. It hangs there as they look at each other.

**Kiss him.**

But Blaine leans up to hug Kurt tightly, and he smiles when Kurt relaxes into him, his breath warm against Blaine's neck and his body trembling with the aftershocks on performing. "You're my best friend," Kurt says softly into his neck, and Blaine hugs him even closer.

"You're mine too," he promises, and they separate looking into each other's starry eyes. Kurt is flushed and smiling, and they sit there for a long time, until Rachel comes to retrieve them for the celebratory dinner at Breadstix.

Dinner turns into passing around bottles of beer in the back of Puck's truck, wrapped in each other's coats and sharing body heat as the temperature drops, and Blaine ends up stumbling home next to Mercedes, singing a rousing duet of  _Superstition_  as they walk, her arm linked through his and her laughter loud on the cold night air. At his door, she unwinds his scarf from around her neck and presses it into his hands as she smacks a kiss to his cheek. "You're a sweetheart," she says, and Blaine watches her leave with a smile on his face.

After rinsing his hair, having water and coffee and a few slices of toast to sober up and changing, Blaine is sitting in bed with his headphones in when the door opens, a slice of light illuminating his bookshelves, his closed laptop and his photographs from the last few weeks pinned up on the walls. "Were you sleeping, baby?" Pam asks, and he shakes his head, sitting up straight. "There's one of your friends downstairs for you, apologising for turning up late. He looks like he's been crying."

Rolling out of bed, getting his foot caught in the blankets in his haste, Blaine waves his mother away and runs down the stairs. Kurt is standing there, wrapped in his black coat, pale against the black night sky, his eyes very red above his monochrome ensemble. "What happened?" Blaine asks anxiously, crossing to pull Kurt inside and close the door before they both freeze in the winter wind whistling through the door. "Is it your dad? Carole? Finn? One of the girls? Elliott?"

Kurt lets out an anguished sob and falls into his arms, fingers curling into the back of Blaine's pyjama shirt, the buttons on his coat pushing into Blaine's chest in a slightly painful manner. Raising his hands to Kurt's heaving back, he tries to soothingly stroke his back, following the line of his spine, until he finally raises his head and, so softly, voice constricted by tears, says, "He broke up with me."


End file.
